


Crush Crusher

by nerfherder_02



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Saves the Day, Basically I dreamt up my own episode of the show, Chat Noir | Adrien Agreste Finds Out about Ladybug's crush, Clumsy Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Feed Adrien Agreste, Ladrien if you squint, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Marinette wears a bun, Not Canon Compliant, Plagg Being Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg Is So Done (Miraculous Ladybug), Secret Identity Problems, Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), balcony visit, chat noir's terrible flirting, lots of crushing, there's a kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerfherder_02/pseuds/nerfherder_02
Summary: Premise is: I wrote my own Miraculous Ladybug episode. It's got fluff, fun, and consequences, I'm kinda obsessed with it. Very much Chat and Ladybug centric though... but what can I say, I love my kids!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 76





	Crush Crusher

“Looks like Hawk Moth will have to wait for a very long time until he gets our miraculouses,” Ladybug remarks as she watches yet another butterfly flutter off into the Paris sky. Today’s fight had been tough. In fact, Hawkmoth only seemed to get stronger each time she and Chat defeated one of his villains. But then again, the pair had been growing stronger as well. Whereas once they had fought as two separate entities, now they could sense each other from across a battle, and could even predict the other’s next move. It was almost as if they were becoming one person.

“We do make a great team, right, Bugaboo?” Chat Noir answers as he lands beside her. The bell at his neck glints in the warm glow of the setting sun.

“Right, now I’ve got to go. Only one minute until I detransform,” she says, swinging into the air, towards what she knows is her home above the Dupain-Cheng bakery. 

Chat watches her go, wishing he could know who was behind that mask. He strains to follow her movements until she disappears behind the bakery, Marinette’s house. How many times had he watched her swing off in that direction, wishing she could stay?

“She goes there so often. Maybe I should hang around Marinette more,” he sighs to himself. Then he realizes what he just said. “Of course, I’ll ask Marinette if she sees Ladybug, and try to catch her there!”

But first, he has to retransform, as using his cataclysm set off the timer signaling his detransformation. Hiding in an enclave of a roof, he quickly becomes Adrien again.

“Claws in. Plagg, hurry up and eat, Chat Noir has places to be,” he tells his kwami as he hands him a piece of smelly camembert. Plagg accepts the snack without a hint of gratitude.

“Huh? We’re not going home?” Plagg asks in bewilderment with a hint of disappointment.

“No, I’ve got to see Marinette,” Adrien insists. His kwami rarely pays attention when he’s running about as Chat Noir, so his lack of understanding comes as no surprise to Adrien.

“Why?” Plagg replies with a dramatic yawn. “You just saw her.”

“At school you mean.” When else had he seen Marinette? Had Plagg seen something he hadn’t?

“Right, yeah, obviously.”

Adrien ignores Plagg’s strange comment for now, but makes a mental note to ask him about it, someday. “Ladybug always disappears to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, so I bet she hangs out with Marinette a lot. Who knows, maybe Marinette knows who she really is.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m done then; let’s get this over with,” Plagg sighs. It would be so much easier if he could just tell Adrien the true reason Ladybug disappears to the bakery.

“Alright. Plagg, claws out!”

Once again Chat Noir, he starts to make his way to Marinette.

—————

“Oh, Tikki. What a night. I’m so tired!” Marinette yawns, stretching her arms up and out. Her faithful kwami circles her once and then looks out towards the balcony. 

“Being a hero isn’t easy, but you do it so well,” Tikki replies. “But it looks like your night isn’t over yet. Look who’s coming!”

Marinette darts to the door to the balcony. “What in the world is he doing?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like he’s coming here. I’d better go.” Tikki quickly hides in a purse under Marinette’s desk. And just in time, too; Chat Noir suddenly lands on the balcony next to Marinette.

“Chat Noir? W-what are you doing here?” Marinette asks nervously. _He couldn’t suspect her true identity, could he?_ “Shouldn’t you have de-transformed by now? I saw that you and Ladybug just saved Paris again, wow!”

“No big deal, really. I’m just out and about, too restless to go home now. Thought I’d drop by and see how things are going,” Chat answers, leaning casually against the railing.

“Is that Chat-speak for wanting some pastries?” Marinette laughs. Chat and his stomach, always finding someplace to eat.

“You know me too well, princess. I’ll take anything you’ve got.”

“No trouble, I’ll go see about any leftovers from today.” Marinette awkwardly makes her way to the door and steps down towards the staircase. The bakery lights are off, her parents sound asleep, but Marinette knows where to find the unused pastries. She grabs the plastic bag in the back, picks out a few of the better-looking croissants and pain au chocolat, and puts them on a small tray to take back upstairs. But as she goes to replace the bag in its original position, she trips over another trash bag and falls to the ground, the platter clanging as it hits the tiled floor. Luckily, the platter catches the upset food, but now her father pokes his head into the room.

“Marinette? Are you okay? What are you doing with the leftovers?” he asks, moving to help his daughter back to her feet.

“Oh I’m fine, I was just hungry that’s all. You know teenagers, always thinking with their stomachs. Love you, goodnight Dad!” Marinette quickly responds as she hurriedly returns up the stairs.

“Okay Mari, goodnight! Try to get some sleep!” he calls after her, before returning to his room for the night.

As she enters her room, she quietly exclaims, “That was a close one. You had better appreciate these, Chat.”

“You know I always appreciate you,” Chat replies, grabbing the tray.

“Keep it down! I woke my Dad up when I tripped and fell.” Marinette motions for him to go out to the balcony.

“Again? So that’s the crash I heard,” Chat laughs, dutifully obeying a now red-cheeked Marinette. The two sit down at her table outside.

“Alright, give it a rest. So what if I’m madly clumsy anyways,” she pouts, folding her arms across her chest.

“Just teasing you; you’re cute when you’re upset. Thanks for the food.”

Marinette decides to ignore the first comment. Typical Chat Noir, flirting with every girl he sees, and yet, setting his heart on only one. Too bad it’s Ladybug, any girl would be lucky to have him. “Did you seriously come here just to eat leftover croissants?”

“Of course not. I have to ask you something.” Chat Noir hesitates, seeing the color drain from Marinette’s face.

Oh no. “Um, okay, what is it?”

“Well, I see Ladybug disappear here often…” he begins. All sorts of red alarms set off in Marinette’s mind. _Play dumb. He doesn’t know, he can’t._ “And I was wondering-”

“It- it’s not what you think, I promise!”

“So she does she hang out here a lot?” Chat looks up from his food excitedly. He had taken quite the gamble, asking after Marinette’s initial reaction, but maybe the unlucky cat has found a stroke of luck tonight.

“Hang out?” Marinette sighs in relief. “Oh… Well, yeah! All the time.”

“Really?” Yes, yes Chat Noir was a lucky black cat tonight indeed.

“Oh yeah, for sure! We’re like best friends.” Marinette quickly goes along with the narrative Chat Noir so helpfully came up with for her.

“Okay, so then I want to ask you if I can come here more often, to see her? You know I really like her.”

“No. I mean, yeah! No big deal!” _Wait, what?_

“Perfect! I knew I could count on you, Mari. I’ve got to go now, but it looks like I’ll see you soon!” Chat Noir vaults off the balcony and into the night, vanishing with no trace except an empty tray.

Marinette sits in shock for a moment, as Tikki moves next to her. 

“Tikki, what did I just do?” Marinette throws her hands up to her face and groans.

“It sounds like you invited Chat Noir over to see Ladybug,” Tikki replies gently.

“But I can’t be Marinette and Ladybug at the same time! What am I going to do? This is a disaster! Chat is going to figure out that I’m Ladybug, or he’s going to think Marinette is a liar!”

“You’ll figure something out. I know you will! You always do!”

“I don’t know; I might be in too deep this time! This really is a disaster!” Marinette can’t shake the cocktail of dread and panic threatening to drown her.

“Just give it some time. Not everything needs to be solved at once. You’ll be okay Marinette, I promise!”

“Yeah, maybe.” She dejectedly changes and throws herself into her bed, ready for the bliss of sleep to swallow all the turmoil for at least a short time. But she soon finds that the fear and anxiety have become the bigger fish, stealing her sleep away. She lies awake, tossing and turning until at long last, the biological need for rest overcomes her racing mind.

———————

The next morning, Marinette gets herself up so early, she surprises Tikki.

“Marinette?” the kwami says with a yawn. “What are you doing up?”

“Making sure Chat Noir doesn’t come around.”

“He’s not going to come here until he’s sure Ladybug will be here. He said himself he wanted to see Ladybug more. The only reason he’ll come here now is to see Marinette, but not this early.”

“Still, you can’t be too sure.” Marinette scans the skyline once more.

“Marinette, you need your sleep, just like Chat Noir. You both should be asleep right now.”

“I can do this, Tikki.”

———————-

“Marinette! Wake up!” a voice hisses in Marinette’s dreams.

“Hm? Love you too, Adrien,” Marinette mumbles and rolls over on the floor of her balcony.

“No! Marinette, you’re going to be late! Please wake up.” Tikki comes into focus in Marinette’s vision. “You don’t have time to dream about Adrien.”

“Huh? What? Oh no! I fell asleep! Where’s Chat Noir?” Marinette exclaims, jumping to her feet, and sending spots to her vision from such an abrupt motion.

“He never came, just like I told you. He won’t show up until he’s sure Ladybug will be here. Now hurry, school starts in 20 minutes!”

“I guess you’re right. Twenty minutes? I’m really in trouble this time!” Marinette scrambles to grab her school outfit, change, wash up, brush her teeth and her hair, and rush downstairs. She finds her parents smiling, holding a paper bag, warm with baked goods tucked inside. “Thank you! Love you, see you later!” Marinette exclaims as she runs out the door and down the street to her school. 

With 5 minutes to spare, Marinette bursts through the entrance to the school. Just her luck, Alya was right there to witness the whole thing.

“At least you made it this time. Nice hair,” Alya laughs and gives Marinette a hug.

Marinette feels the heat in her cheeks, and pats the top of her head, feeling the bun she put it in earlier. “Huh? Oh, I didn’t have time to change it after I brushed my teeth.”

“No worries, girl! It’s adorable.” She leans closer and drops to a murmur. “I’m sure Adrien will think so.” 

“Alya, stop it!” Marinette gently pushes Alya away, giggling. With that, the bell rings, just as Adrien walks through the door.

“Huh, looks like you’re not the only one cutting it close,” Alya says to Marinette. Then, louder, she calls, “Hey, Adrien!”

“Alya!” Marinette hisses, but Adrien already sees the two girls.

“Hey, Alya! Hey, Marinette, nice hair,” he greets them, and Alya elbows Marinette.

“Oh, h-hi Adrien. I-I didn’t mean to wear it like this but if you like it?” Marinette stumbles for words.

“Yeah, it’s different. Anyways, we should get to class, don’t you think?” Adrien motions towards the classroom door where the rest of the class begins to file in.

“Right, come on, Marinette,” Alya answers, taking Marinette’s arm while she remains stuck staring at Adrien.

——————-

Marinette struggles to keep her eyes open during physics class. Another day, another lecture. The next project isn’t until next month, and she can’t stand the thought of the same boring routine everyday until then. At least she has Adrien to look at in front of her. He’d never fall asleep in this class; it’s his favorite. Marinette tries to pay attention for him, even if he doesn’t know it, but with each passing day her motivation drains a little more. She glances at the clock. _Ten more minutes, come on._ Maybe if Marinette really struggles in this subject, she could ask Adrien for help, but with his busy schedule, Marinette is reluctant to believe he’ll make time for her, especially since she can barely say two words to him like a normal person. Marinette sighs, but too loudly, because the teacher glances sharply at her.

“Bored, Dupain-Cheng? You’re welcome to teach the class if you’d like,” she snaps.

“What? No, no, no, I’m so sorry. I just haven’t been getting enough sleep, that’s all. I swear!” Marinette quickly explains, not wanting consequences.

“Start sleeping then, or else I’ll be talking to your parents.”

“Yes, Madame.” Marinette frowns softly to herself when her teacher turns back to Newton’s laws. 

Adrien feels his heart drop into his stomach. He’s been keeping Marinette up, and now she’s getting in trouble over it. Maybe asking to come over wasn’t such a good idea. From now on, he’d only visit when he was sure Ladybug was at the house, or when I won’t keep her up too late. Marinette has become a really close friend to him, and he couldn’t bear to let anything bad happen to her.

Just then, the bell rings, startling Adrien. He sees Marinette passing him as she leaves, and needs to talk to her.

“Marinette! Wait up a sec.” Adrien grabs his bag and catches up with a wide-eyed Marinette. “Hey, I’m sorry about what happened in class.”

“W-what? Why are you sorry? It was nothing, just me being foolish is all.” Marinette tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Well, uh, I, just wanted to tell you that you shouldn’t worry about it, and get some rest, okay?”

“Uh, okay, thanks! See ya tomorrow then!” She throws up a hand, waving goodbye.

“Or maybe sooner, Princess,” he says under his breath as she turns to go, her hair still in the bun she had promised to change.

———–

His bodyguard must be stuck in traffic, because Adrien doesn’t see the sleek black car anywhere. He sits down on the front steps outside the school to wait. As he takes in the scene of the city, he notices a commotion among a group of three young boys who all seem to be about 13 years old. Their argument drifts over to him.

“Dude, did you seriously think you had a chance with Ladybug, come on!” one boy teases.

“Yeah, she doesn’t even know you exist. You’re hopeless,” the other calls out.

The only boy not laughing replies indignantly, “You weren’t supposed to find those notes anyways. Shut up! So what if I have a crush!”

“Maybe if you were a superhero or the son of Mayor Bourgeois you’d have a shot!” his classmate laughs. “Give up already, you’re just making yourself more lame by the second.”

“You’re just jealous!”

“Of what? Come on Marc, let’s give this loser some time to gush over Ladybug!” The two boys laugh as they turn and walk away.

Adrien mutters, “Uncool.” He gets up to go check on the abandoned boy, who rips up the papers he was holding and stomps on the scraps. Adrien reaches out for his shoulder. “You alright?”

“No, leave me alone!” The boy shoves Adrien’s hand away.

“Hey! I’m not going to make fun of you; I know how you feel.”

“No you don’t! No one does.”

“Actually, I know more about rejection than you think. I just wanted to tell you that you’re not alone.” Adrien sees his car pull up alongside him on the sidewalk.

“Thanks, but that’s not gonna solve any problems.”

“Just stay positive! Maybe Ladybug would like you if she met you! I gotta go, but don’t let your friend’s mean words get to you."

The boy just scowls as Adrien gets in the car. He feels in his heart that Chat Noir will need to make an appearance later, and not even the chance to see Ladybug can comfort him. As if on cue, Adrien hears a rumble behind him. He looks back to see the boy, now dressed in a tuxedo and carrying scraps of paper.

“Pull over, we need to get away from that akuma,” Adrien says to his bodyguard. Then, he unlocks the door to the car, jumps out before his bodyguard catches him, and makes a break for the nearest public building. Once inside, he finds an empty room and transforms.

Outside, he finds to akumatized boy chasing after his two friends, and throws a piece of his paper at each of them.

“Now you’ll be the ones to suffer from unrequited affections! The only thing that can save you from the Crush Crusher now is true love’s kiss!” the boy laughs maniacally. His friends run off, each shouting a different name.

“Hey, don’t be hiss-terical, why don’t you calm down and we can talk about how you’re feeling. No need to drag everyone else into your un-fur-tunate circumstances,” Chat calls to the villian.

“Chat Noir, I know you of all people knows how it feels to be rejected. Why, where is your precious Ladybug now?”

“First of all, you haven’t been rejected, just caught in a crush. Second of all, my lady never leaves me to fight alone. She’s just busy.”

“Fine, I’ll wait for her to show. Maybe if you’re in more desperate need she’ll arrive faster.”

By now the streets are filled with people shouting the names of their hearts’ objects, each one infecting others until no one can escape.

“M’lady, where are you?” Chat Noir says to himself as the Crush Crusher advances, brandishing his perilous paper.

—————–

“I just need a fifteen minute nap, ugh!” Marinette collapses onto her bed and closes her eyes, her hair now in her usual pigtails.

“There’s a lot of commotion in the streets. I think you need to check this out,” Tikki calls anxiously, but Marinette has already passed out. “Mari? Mari? No, no, no, wake up!!”

—————–

As the fight drags on, Chat Noir can feel himself running out of energy. He starts to retreat, hoping to find a place to hide from the villain.

“You can’t hide forever, Chat Noir. I’ll find you!” the boy screams after him, but Chat has already disappeared, leaping over the rooftops to the one safe place he knows he can count on: the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He leaps right through the open trapdoor into Marinette’s room, only to find her sound asleep.

He gently nudges her and whispers, “Princess, you’ve got to help me. It’s an emergency!”

Marinette sluggishly rolls over, eyes blinking away sleep. “Hm? Chat Noir? What? Why-”

“There’s an akuma, no time to explain. You’ve got to help me find Ladybug!” Chat Noir looks apprehensively behind his shoulder. “The villain infects people with his papers and makes them run around shouting their crush’s name!”

“Not another love akuma! Paris is the city of love, we shouldn’t be having a problem with this,” Marinette grumbles, grinning.

“And yet my lady still refuses me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s okay. Now, shall we?” Chat Noir offers a hand to Marinette who takes it and follows him up and out onto the balcony. Marinette gasps at the incredible crowd of frantic people screaming, infected and otherwise. Chat Noir sees her horror and remarks, “I know, it’s awful.”

Shaking out of her stupor, Marinette turns back to Chat. “I know where to find Ladybug, but you have to promise not to follow me. This is really important to her, so if you have any feelings for her, please respect her and listen to me.”

“Of course.”

“Promise?” Marinette repeats, gazing intently at Chat.

“I promise, Princess. Tell my lady that her Chat is waiting.”

“I will.” And with that, Chat Noir leaps away, leaving Marinette alone to transform.

“Oh Tikki, what am I going to do with him?” Marinette sighs to herself.

“I would suggest helping him to stop an akuma,” Tikki giggles at Marinette’s frown.

“Marinette can figure this out later; right now, Paris needs Ladybug and Chat Noir to save the day. Tikki, spots on!” Marinette transforms and takes one glance around to make sure no one witnessed the event. There’s not a sane person in sight, so Ladybug swings off in the direction that Chat Noir left. Soon, enough, she finds him fighting and shouting at what appears to be the akumatized villain in a tuxedo. Strange that there are no crowds of people here. Just as she thinks this to herself, Chat sees her scanning the scene from the nearby rooftop, and panic seems to blossom on his masked face.

“M’Lady, run! It’s a trap!” he shouts, pointing behind her. Ladybug turns to see what upset Chat, but by then it is too late. The wave of infected civilians that the villainized boy had set up to catch the superheroine instantly crashes upon her. She soon finds her consciousness slipping away, and all she can think about is Adrien.

———-

“M’Lady, no!” Chat cries as he sees Ladybug overtaken by the trap this akumatized boy had just described to him moments before. The next thing he knows, he’s running to Ladybug, and catches her just as she falls unconscious, slowly succumbing to the effects of the akuma attack. Her resistance to the attack is more than most, but it will not be enough to defeat the akuma’s takeover of her. But where in all of Paris can he go to escape the mounting power of evil? _No lovestruck zombie could ever climb the Eiffel Tower._ Chat knows he needs to act fast to save his partner, and so he vaults his way to the iconic Parisian monument with Ladybug secure in one arm. _I need Ladybug to capture the akuma and restore Paris, but how can she fight when she’s under the spell of this akuma?_ He paces tensely atop the tower, Ladybug still in his arms. He gazes into Ladybug’s now pale face. 

“You always have a plan, you always know what to do. Help me, m’lady, I don’t know how to save you.” Chat gently sits down, holding her close as he contemplates the situation.

Now, as the akuma takes more and more control over her, Ladybug begins to softly call out the name of her love. “Adrien.”

Chat jumps at the sound of her voice, too lost in thought to make out what she whispered. “Ladybug?”

She repeats the name, louder this time, still unconscious. “Adrien.”

 _Could she really be saying my name? I’m her true love?_ Chat Noir almost leaps with excitement, but the grave circumstances still his outburst. _But what do I do now?_ He strains to recall the villain’s earlier taunts, which he knows included how to reverse the akuma’s effects. 

Chat replays the scene in his mind, remembering one vital sentence, “The only thing that can save you now is true love’s kiss!”

“That’s it, I have to kiss her!” he exclaims. Leaning down toward Ladybug’s face, he says, “Sorry about this m’lady, but I need you to come back.” Gently and briefly, he presses his lips to hers. 

After a moment, the heroine’s eyes flutter open, and focus on the face above her. “Chat?”

“Bugaboo, you’re back!” Chat answers triumphantly.

“W-what happened, where was I?” Ladybug sits up and glances around, noticing Chat’s arms around her.

Before Chat can answer, the pair is shook by the tremors of the tower. Quickly, he explains, “You got caught by the crowd of zombie people, and I brought you here and reversed the effects of the attack. And just in time, too; it looks like they’re here!”

The two run to the edge of the tower’s topmost platform and look down. Sure enough, the wave of infected Parisians is beginning to climb the tower, led by the villain himself.

Chat speaks up. “Okay, I have a plan. First, we need your lucky charm.”

“On it. Lucky charm!” Light flashes and soon a card, pen, and envelope appear in Ladybug’s hands. “What?”

“Perfect!”

“Chat, what-”

“You’ve got to trust me, you’ve been out of it for most of this fight, thanks to these lovestruck civilians. But I know that the boy has a crush on you, and the akuma is in the scraps of paper he carries.” Chat Noir continues to outline his plan, while Ladybug works to get ready for her part. 

As the boy reaches the platform, Chat hides, and Ladybug holds her letter in her hands and takes a deep breath. _I trust you Chat, I just don’t know how much I trust myself._

“Ladybug! You’ve recovered, what a surprise. No matter, I will have your miraculous soon enough,” the boy villain declares.

“Wait, before you take my miraculous, read this.” She tosses the envelope to the boy, who disdainfully tears it open, and begins to read.

“‘Dearest Admirer: It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself like you did today, and I’m super impressed that you weren’t afraid to let your friends know how you feel. They may have taken it poorly, but I’ll let you in on a secret that you probably already learned today: everyone likes someone, whether they hide it or not. Maybe just as a friend, maybe as more than that, but trust me, in the city of love, there’s plenty of love to go around. You just have to look for it. I’m sorry I don’t share your feelings, but I admire how you stepped up and didn’t hide how you felt. I hope you and I can part as friends. Love, Ladybug,’” the boy finishes the letter, and his face softens. Slowly, he lets go of the shreds of paper in his hand, and runs to give his hero a hug. She accepts the embrace, and at the same time Chat uses his cataclysm to reveal the akuma.

“Thank you, Ladybug,” the boy whispers.

“Of course, you’re welcome. Now, time to catch that akuma!” Ladybug flings her yo-yo out and catches the evilized akuma, then sets the now harmless butterfly free with Chat now beside her. She tosses the letter up into the air, exclaiming, “Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Soon, Paris is completely back to normal, and the boy is safely returned to apologetic friends. Watching the group walk off, Ladybug smiles, not noticing Chat’s internal struggle beside her.

Chat shifts uncomfortably, casting glances at Ladybug every so often as she seems lost in thought as she stares off into the distance. His heart pounds in his chest, so loud he’s afraid she can hear it. _Would she be mad if he told her?_ He certainly wasn’t trying to find out, well, not like this. Silently he stood beside her, afraid to tell his own partner he knew she liked him. The irony is not lost on him. “Hey, m’lady?”

“Yes, Kitty?” She turns to face him, and her smile fades. “What’s wrong?”

“Um, well, we need to talk. Some things happened while you were out, and even before, and I don’t want to hide it from you.”

“Okay, but my time is almost up.” She motions to her blinking earrings.

“Me too, but if you give me ten minutes I’ll meet you at Marinette’s place.”

“Why there?”

“It’s close, and Marinette is cool with us going there.”

“Alright, ten minutes then, see you soon!” Ladybug and Chat Noir leave in opposite directions, Ladybug towards her house and Chat towards the nearest public building.

Quickly hiding, Adrien changes back and says to a disgruntled Plagg, “You know the drill. Chat has some things to take care of, if you don’t mind.”

“What do you mean, ‘things to take care of,’” Plagg responds with a mouth full of camembert.

“Well you know, a lot happened today, so I need to talk to Ladybug.”

“No kidding. Alright, then let’s get this over with.”

————

“Tikki what could have happened that has Chat so shaken up?” Marinette wonders aloud.

“I don’t know, but he’s never been this serious before,” Tikki replies through her cookie.

“He has, but only at certain times, like that night at the Eiffel tower.” Marinette paces her room. “He’s making me nervous.”

“He certainly seemed to be in control fighting that akuma today,” Tikki points out.

“Yeah, it was really strange not making the plan, but I can’t say I didn’t like it. We make a good team; it’s only right that he be the leader sometimes.” Scenes of the fight flash through Marinette’s mind. Warmth fills her heart as she remembers Chat’s sweet words to the boy, even though Ladybug read them. And when the reporters came, he hadn’t protested when everyone assumed she had devised the plan. She had gracefully diverted the praise to her partner, who remained as witty as ever. 

Tikki’s soft voice interrupts her reverie. “Well, you had better change back, it’s been eight minutes since you two parted.”

“Already?” Marinette checks the time on her phone. “Wow, it looks like you’re right. Tikki, spots on!” And with that, she becomes Ladybug once again.

After about another minute of waiting, Chat Noir shows up right on time. “Hey Chat,” Ladybug greets him. “Marinette had to go, but she said to say hi.”

“Aw, I needed to tell her thanks for her help today. She did come and get you, right?”

“Yes, she did.” Ladybug fights the urge to giggle at the irony.

“I knew she would. She’s my biggest fan.”

“Very funny, Chat.” Ladybug laughs, knowing exactly what Marinette thinks of him. She might be his number one fan, but there’s no way he could ever guess that.

Chat walks into her room and looks around. “Have you ever counted the number of pictures of Adrien in here? I know she’s into fashion and all, but this is a lot. Like some of these are framed! Someone who didn’t know better would think she had a crush.”

“But, of course, we know better, that she just really likes fashion and totally doesn’t have a crush on her fashion idol’s perfect son, right?” Marinette anxiously watches Chat scan the room with its hundreds of cutouts of Adrien’s face.

“Perfect, huh? I think he would beg to disagree.”

“You say that like you’re friends with him.” Ladybug moves closer behind him.

“Yeah, we’re pretty close. He tells me everything.” Chat turns to look her in the eye. “Look, m’lady. I know you like him.” She freezes, but he continues. “You’ve always said there was another boy, and today when you were under that love akuma’s spell you said his name. Not to mention you called him perfect just now.”

“I guess I can’t hide it from you anymore. It’s true.” She reaches for his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I get scared because I think of every possible thing that could go wrong. And I didn’t want anyone to find out because if it went on the LadyBlog, Hawkmoth could find out and use that against me. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to tell anyone; you can trust me.”

“I know, thank you.”

“You know, Adrien really likes you too.”

“Really?” Ladybug can’t hide the joy on her face, but reality soon ends her hope. “Well, here’s the thing. I could never be in a relationship with him, or any civilian, as a superhero. It just wouldn’t work; I’m sure you can think of why. Eventually someone would find out, rumors would spread, Hawkmoth would find out, it would all go wrong. And the other thing is, I want someone to fall in love with the real me, not Ladybug. Ladybug, this,” she motions to herself, “this is not me. I mean, it is, but it’s only one part. I guess that goes for you, too, Chat. I feel like I would be lying to someone if I only let them see Ladybug.”

Chat nods, and the two are silent for a few moments. Then, he answers, “I know how you feel, but for me, it’s the opposite. The ‘real me’, my secret identity, is not really me. In my ‘real’ life, I have to be perfect, I have to hide who I really am. But here, as a superhero, with you, I can be who I want to be, show the world who I really am, even if they don’t know my real name. This is the part of me I want people to know and care about. I get it, wanting to be truly loved, for all of you.”

“I didn’t even think about that, how you could have to hide your true self in real life. I guess I just thought that being a superhero is about hiding your imperfections, not showing them.” A small laugh escapes her. “Thank you, Chat, for always being honest. Don’t ever change, kitty.” She wraps her arms around him, and he quickly returns the embrace.

“Of course, Bugaboo.” Slowly, they let go of each other, pulling back to look the other in the eye. “So I guess that means I’ll be talking to Alya about finding out your true identity.”

“Chat!” Ladybug exclaims, swatting at his hand by her side.

“I’m just kidding.” He pauses, and Ladybug gives him a hard look. “Well, maybe only half kidding. I’ll find you somehow, true love always finds a way.” He turns to leave. “See you around, m’lady.”

“Bye, Kitty. Thank you.” Ladybug watches him go; once he’s out of sight, she softly says, “Tikki, spots off.” Her kwami regards her with a knowing smile.

“Oh, don’t do that, Tikki. I’m already struggling enough. Why does he have to be like that?” Marinette sighs.

“It looks like someone has two crushes now,” Tikki laughs.

“Stop that. I’m not in love with Chat. Sure he’s sweet and gentle and kinda cute, but there’s no way he can beat Adrien.” Marinette’s gaze sweeps across the photos of her crush.

“We’ll see about that,” Tikki murmurs, out of earshot of her unsuspecting keeper.


End file.
